Donnelly Corporation is to begin shipping interior mirrors next quarter loaded with the electronics to support General Motors“ new OnStar(R) system, representing the beginning of one of the most impo…
Donnelly Corporation is to begin shipping interior mirrors next quarter loaded with the electronics to support General Motors“ new OnStar(R) system, representing the beginning of one of the most important business developments in Donnelly“s long history as an automotive supplier. According to the company, the inclusion of the sophisticated OnStar electronics in many of the prism and electrochromic (auto-dimming) mirrors sold to GM will substantially increase the value Donnelly provides in those products. Through that value increase, Donnelly estimates the business will generate incremental sales over the next several years that will position the OnStar products as the company“s largest-ever single segment of interior mirror business. “Over the past four years we have been chosen by General Motors as Supplier of the Year for interior mirrors, and we are honoured that Donnelly has now been entrusted with supplying what we believe will be the majority of GM“s OnStar mirror products in the years ahead,” said Dwane Baumgardner, Donnelly chairman and chief executive officer. Donnelly said it will provide the OnStar electronics in a mix of prismatic and electrochromic mirrors. Both kinds of mirrors may also include additional electronic features such as compass and temperature displays and precision interior map lighting. Through its prismatic and electrochromic products, Donnelly supplies the interior mirrors used on most of the GM cars and light trucks built in North America. “While electrochromic mirrors are the fastest-growing segment of our mirror business, our customers have also said very clearly that, for many vehicles, prismatic mirrors will remain the technology of choice,” Baumgardner said. “By including advanced features such as OnStar, compass, temperature displays and lighting on prismatic mirrors, we are able to move that product substantially up the value scale. That represents a tremendous potential return on the investments we“ve made in developing our electronics capabilities.”